Turkish Residence Permit

Residence permits

As of July 2010, foreign residents living in Turkey who own real estate in Turkey will no longer be able to make short trips out of the country to renew their visa. The authorities are now issuing a 90-day tourist visa that is valid over 180 days, so if you try and return to Turkey after 90 days you will not be allowed and you will have to wait a further 90 days to apply for another tourist visa.

What type of residence permit will I need?

The longest term a resident permit is granted for is five years. However, usually permits of only two years are granted on initial application. After a residence permit expires it can be renewed four times. To renew, you must apply to your local police headquarters within 15 days of expiry.

How to obtain a permit

You can get an application from your local Foreigners Department, at your local police station. You will need the following documents:

– A valid passport with photocopies of the last entry stamp and details page

– A completed application form

– Five recent passport-sized photographs

– A valid Turkish visa (eg, a holiday visa)

– The application fee

– Bank statement from a Turkish bank proving you are in good financial standing (this varies from place to place. The general rule is that you must have 250 euros in for each month you intend to register in Turkey. For example, if you want a 12-month permit, you will need 3000 euros).

You may also need, where applicable:

– Evidence of your marriage (if married to a Turkish national)

– Property title deeds

– Employment details (if employed in Turkey)

Changing your permit details

If you move to another region, you must report your move to the local police station within 48 hours. If your marital status changes you must submit a signed statement to the local authorities within 15 days of the change in order for your details to be changed on your residence permit.

Residence permit costs as of 2010:

One year 370 GBP

Two years 730 GBP

Three years 1090 GBP

Four years 1450 GBP

Five years 1810 GBP

Note: On first application, you will need to pay a 138 YTL administration fee. You will not need to pay this upon renewal.

Please note that your Turkish residency permit does not give you right to employment or self-employment in Turkey.

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Comments

Just to update this, since April 2011 the cost of permits for UK citizens was dropped to about £50 a year.
Also that the 90 in 180 day rule was postponed soon after it was introduced, though it is expected that it will be re-introduced in the near future.
When a permit is given, the applicant receives a book (rather like a small passport) which contains the permit.
It is this book that can only be renewed 4 times, there is no limit on the number of times the actual permit can be renewed. What is means is that after 4 renewals the permit holder simply has to pay for a new book, currently about £60.

Full information is available at the website of the UK Embassy in Turkey:

I’m confused. If you get a 180-day tourist visa, can you stay for 180 days without leaving? And if you do leave at or just before the 180-day tourist visa expires, can you come back after 24-hours and get another 180-day tourist visa? If so, how many times can you get a 180-day tourist visa?

As I advised in my earlier posting, the best place for advice on this is the British embassy Ankara website http://ukinturkey.fco.gov.uk/en/
The 180 day visas haven’t been introduced yet, and this is what the embassy says on the matter:
“The Turkish authorities have not yet set a firm date for implementation of the 90/180 day visa. We continue to ask for a notification period of 3 months in advance and for an expiry date to be placed on the visa sticker. We have pointed out how confusing it is for British nationals to receive visa stickers which state that they are valid for 90/180 days but which are actually valid for just 90 days.

If you are entering Turkey on a £10 tourist visa, be sure to leave within 90 days of the date of first issue. If you plan to leave within 90 days and then to re-enter Turkey and if your stay will take you past 90 days from the date the visa was issued, buy a new visa. If you do not, you risk overstaying and may be given a substantial fine and/or a ban from re-entering in the future.”

It isn’t actually a 180 day visa, it is a 90/180 days which means you can stay in Turkey for a maximum of 90 days out of the 180. So if for example after your arrival you stayed for 90 days continuously, you would have to leave the country and could not return until the remaining 90 days (of the 180) had elapsed. But the other side to it is you could stay for a couple of weeks, leave the country, come back and stay a few weeks more etc etc as long as the total time spent in Turkey does not exceed 90 days in the 180 day period.

However, as explained above these visas are not yet in effect, so that whatever sticker you get on your passport, at this moment in time visas are valid for a maximum of 90 days and then you must leave the country to renew it. If you don’t want to return to the UK all you need to do is take a day trip to the Greek island of Kos. When you return at the end of the day you can buy a new 90 day visa at passport control.

But if you are intending spending a considerable amount of time here, it’s much easier just to get a residency permit. You do not have to commit to staying in Turkey for any amount of time to qualify, and it means you can come and go as you please. You do however need an address i.e. you must either own a property here or have a written rental agreement.